So what's the deal with SKonec?

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:32 am

Apparently, Shiki III is made by Alpha System and SKonec.

Now, to my knowledge, the first two games were made by Alpha System alone. So why did SKonec work on the 3rd game? They also did Psyvariar 2, even though the original Psyvariar was made by Success.

AND, SKonec also did Homura and is working on Homura II.

So are they the kings of 3D shooters now? I guess it's good to see developers from countries other than Japan get into STG development. I don't know how Japanese gamers feel about this though, since most Japanese I know dislike Koreans.

In any case, if SKonec worked on Shiki III, what did Alpha System do?

This is all so confusing.

Blade · Post by **Blade** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:48 am

It's hard for me to vote in any case, considering I don't exactly know to what extent Skonec gets involved in the design process...maybe they're just a group of coders for all we know.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:52 am

I like Skonec, like I've said before I really like their bullet patterns. And the music in Psyvariar is lovely. The minimalist vector look of Psyvariar MU & R is very clean and seems to fit that elegant game design.

Skonec's recent announcements around their SMPL (Skonec Multi Platform Library) that I referenced in the Shiki III thread means we'll probably see their influence grow more in the future.

benj · Post by **benj** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:44 am

I too like Psyvariar 2 a lot. The patterns are beatiful and it has a great soundtrack. From what I´ve seen of Homura, it also seems like a nice enough game (haven´t played it yet, though), and it´s great to hear that it gets a sequel. I´d say they´re OK. Not yet great, but they are getting there.

highlandcattle · Post by **highlandcattle** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:06 pm

Why is there no option for Skonec is great?

icycalm skonec also did the first two Psyvariar Succes was simply the publisher/distributor. Probably because Skonec is a Korean company.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:33 pm

highlandcattle wrote:Why is there no option for Skonec is great?

Cause I don't like Koreans!

Just kidding.

highlandcattle wrote:icycalm skonec also did the first two Psyvariar Succes was simply the publisher/distributor. Probably because Skonec is a Korean company.

That's good to know. Have you any idea if Psyvariar was their first shooter, or their first game for that matter?

lazydazy · Post by **lazydazy** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:58 pm

Only thing I like about Skonec games are nice looking bullet patterns. My opinion is that their games are ok but too great.

Japanese and Koreans had bad blood throughout history. Koreans believe(and teach in schools) they suffered much from Japanese invasions and colonization of Korea during early 20C but Japanese believe(and teach in schools) that their occupation of Korea was in good will to help modernize Korea. Much like any other neighboring countries not getting along in the world, both countries "learn" to hate each other.

LSU · Post by **LSU** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 8:50 pm

Yep, same here, I definitely like their games and I think the 'clean' look works OK for them, but I don't think they're real classics.

Are Skonec the only Korean shmup developer?

TalkingOctopus · Post by **TalkingOctopus** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:46 pm

I like Homura. I think it's a fun game with decent graphics and nice music.

Acid King · Post by **Acid King** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:17 pm

I liked Psyvariar 2 a lot, and really enjoy Homura. Their bullet pattersn are great, and I love the scoring system in Homura. I don't know about play Psyvariar for score, just because the boss milking for buzz just doesn't seem that fun, but I enjoy it as a straight shooter with buzzing thrown in on top.

highlandcattle · Post by **highlandcattle** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:26 pm

LSU wrote:Yep, same here, I definitely like their games and I think the 'clean' look works OK for them, but I don't think they're real classics.

Are Skonec the only Korean shmup developer?

I don't know about much but there is
TOMAK: Saving the Earth again on PC and GP32
and you have Cutey Fatey on Arcade it was also rumored for GP32

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:34 pm

***BEGIN SPIEL***

lazydazy wrote: Japanese and Koreans had bad blood throughout history. Koreans believe(and teach in schools) they suffered much from Japanese invasions and colonization of Korea during early 20C but Japanese believe(and teach in schools) that their occupation of Korea was in good will to help modernize Korea. Much like any other neighboring countries not getting along in the world, both countries "learn" to hate each other.

Um, Koreans DID suffer from the Japanese, esp. in WWII. That's like saying Jews believe they suffered from the Nazis. It's hard to imagine a Korean loving the Japanese you realize that some surviving grandmothers were subjected to JP rape camps.

Goodwill rather than expansion? Right...just like the United States's reason to invade Iraq was to eliminate WMDs and not for economic purposes? Political excuses are sickening.

And it's amazing how little press this sort of brutality gets in the western world. If you're Korean and your parents/grandparents were subjected to Japanese occupation, well, all I can say is you have amazing neutrality.

***END SPIEL***

Anyway, Skonec has some great taste in music even though they it seems they try too hard to make their 3D graphics silky smooth like Ikaruga.

Randorama · Post by **Randorama** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:51 pm

to my knowledge, Alfa System had to cope with the disappearance of their main programmer while working on Shikigami III, hence the help. I think that the first Psyvariar was done by skonec employers on contract with Success, as for instance Ore808 (the main ideator of the Psyvariar franchise) appeared as a Success guy in Psyvariar Medium Unit and Revision.

oxtsu · Post by **oxtsu** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 11:13 pm

There's a lot of speculation here.

Psyvariar Medium, Revision, and 2 were created by the same core staff, all Japanese.

Shikigami III still has lead designer NAOKI at the helm, according to Arcadia. No mention of Skonec anywhere but on the arcade poster.

As far as I can see, Homura is Skonec's only game that can truly be called their own.

japtor · Post by **japtor** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:39 am

(this post will have absolutely nothing to do with the thread)

lazydazy wrote:Only thing I like about Skonec games are nice looking bullet patterns. My opinion is that their games are ok but too great.

Japanese and Koreans had bad blood throughout history. Koreans believe(and teach in schools) they suffered much from Japanese invasions and colonization of Korea during early 20C but Japanese believe(and teach in schools) that their occupation of Korea was in good will to help modernize Korea. Much like any other neighboring countries not getting along in the world, both countries "learn" to hate each other.

this is one of the most awesomely random awkward out of nowhere posts ive ever seen. kudos to you.

Ganelon wrote:If you're Korean and your parents/grandparents were subjected to Japanese occupation, well, all I can say is you have amazing neutrality.

companies like nintendo, cave, and toyota have taught me forgiveness. and what would the world do without the weird crazy characters like razor ramon hard gay, or bob sapp? (i know hes american, but he got famous in japan).

the world would be a sadder place.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:13 am

I'd dignify this thread with a vote, but the option: "ZOMG SKONEC = TEH SECKS" is not on the poll, apparently.

ah well.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:03 am

jesus, that's what the last option is.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:34 am

icycalm wrote:jesus, that's what the last option is.

er... I said "teh secks", as in "Skonec is sexually arousing". not "teh sucks". <3 Skonec.

highlandcattle · Post by **highlandcattle** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:40 am

oxtsu wrote:There's a lot of speculation here.

Psyvariar Medium, Revision, and 2 were created by the same core staff, all Japanese.

Shikigami III still has lead designer NAOKI at the helm, according to Arcadia. No mention of Skonec anywhere but on the arcade poster.

As far as I can see, Homura is Skonec's only game that can truly be called their own.

Nope all off skonec are korean

oxtsu · Post by **oxtsu** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:50 am

Call them what you will. Fuck it.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:56 am

All we have to do is look at the credits of Psyvariar and Psyvariar 2. If the names are mostly Japanese then Skonec had little to do with them. If the names are mostly Korean then the opposite is true.

I mean there is no mistaking Korean and Japanese names.

I don't have access to the games right now, but I will in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, maybe someone else can oblige...

oxtsu · Post by **oxtsu** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:07 am

Ok..Psyvariar Medium and Revision credits, from the Appreciate DVD booklet -

Executive Producer --> Takato Yoshinari
Programmer --> Takashi Egawano as ORE808"
Designer --> Hide Takahashi as bymake2
Sound --> Tatsuro Sato as WASi303

Special Thanks>>

YMOT Yagi (TAITO)
Xujinpei (Success)
Tatsuya Nakano as nak (Success)
Saku Takaoka (Success)

And

ALL Success Staff

Does that answer any questions?

Don't have the full credit for Psyvariar 2 in front of me, but it is much the same as the M+R, with ORE808 and WASi303.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:12 am

There's not a single Korean name there. I guess this answers some questions, but it raises even more.

If I emailed SKonec and asked them, in English, exactly what they had to do with the Psyvariars and the Shikis, would they answer me?

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:34 am

"What do you think of SKonec's games:
They're ok
They need more polygons
DOWN WITH SKONEC!!1

"
You see, if there's the extreme "down with skonec!" bashing, there must also be the opposite extreme listed as an option-- i.e. a Skonec ass-kisser option.

incognoscente · Post by **incognoscente** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:58 pm

oxtsu & icycalm:

Psyvariar 2 staff roll:
Producer:
ORE808

Project Manager:
Livax
Makoto Fukuda (SUCCESS)

Main Programmer:
ORE808

Sub Programmer:
Livax
Hong Yeong Min
Park Injae

Tool Programmer:
Hong Yeong Min
Jung Ji Sung

Graphic Manager:
Yeom Dong Hoon

Mechanic Designer:
Kim Han Byol

Character Designer:
No Young Kun

Background Designer:
Kim Han Byol
No Young Kun

3D Object Designer:
Yeom Dong Hoon
GeGuRi
Kim Hyong Joon
Kim Dong Nam
Lee Seung Chol

Effect Designer:
Yeom Dong Hoon
Kim Hyong Joon
ORE808

Music Composer:
Tetsuro Sato as WASi303
Misako Adjumy Sekiguchi
Yuki Yoshino as Emagicker
ORE808 (only last Boss)

Sound Effect:
Tetsuro Sato as WASi303

Sound Mastering Engineer:
Takanari O-Yama (Studio03)

Product Manager:
Kim Sung Keun

Executive Producer:
Hwang Dae Sil
Takato Yoshinari (SUCCESS)

Special Thanks:
Lee Who jung
Lee Young Ae
TOMY
Takeshi Takahashi (SUCCESS)
Kenta Ueno (SEGA)
Hiroyuki Miyano (SEGA)

A lot of typing :)

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:03 pm

wow, some of those names look korean...

Devil REI · Post by **Devil REI** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:09 pm

Write-in: "Who the fuck cares what nationality the devs are, I just want to play Shiki III already!"

I'm guessing that Alfa System did the bulk of things, and SKonec probably assisted in the development by supplying programming routines and libraries and designs and such. It's not terribly uncommon for companies to do some outsourcing like that in this day and age, especially as game development costs rise. You might also remember that G.Rev helped out Konami and Treasure with Gradius V...

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:39 pm

Still waiting for the "OMG SKONEC ROXXORS TEH BIG ONE!111" option, since there's a "DOWN WITH SKONEC!!" option.

Fighter17 · Post by **Fighter17** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:57 pm

No opinion about them.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:02 am

incognoscente: thanks a lot!

So SKonec did everything apart from the sound and music. I guess the main programmer was also Japanese, but the sub programmers, character and mechanical design, and pretty much everything else was done by Koreans. Psyvariar 2 is their game then. But they didn't do the first one, as we've seen, because that one was done entirely by Japanese people.

Now what we need is the Shiki III staff roll.